The email below was sent to the Mechanical Music Digest in response to a thread about gutted player pianos being more valuable than intact instruments.

Hi All,

Maybe Don Teach and I should see if we can work out
some details about listing these player actions that he
and others don't want. I get emails on a regular basis
asking me where they can find player actions for their
gutted players. So far, keeping an inventory which
includes manufacturer, scale design, asking price, etc.,
has proven to be time consuming and unprofitable.

I've stated for years that the quest for returning a gutted
player to a working player is 2-3 times more expensive
than starting with a unit that is intact. So, those who have
asked are already aware of the cost factors involved. If a
network of people who own these orphaned player
mechanisms could it all get together, perhaps that cost
factor could be reduced to 1-2 times more expensive, and
we'd still make a profit.

Naturally, shipping is always a problem and an expense.
I recently had a box made for a Duo-Art stack that would
insure its safe travel across the US. The cost was over $300.
Also, when added to the weight of the stack, the total weight
came to over 113 pounds. Point is that some sort of an
arrangement would have to be made such that the buyer
could rent the shipping container and then return it empty.

Here's another twist to this thread. The owner of a piano store
called last month and asked if I'd be interested in buying a few
of the non-working, fully-intact players she has in her store. Like
Robbie indicated in his most recent editorial comment, piano
technicians are often intimidated by the presence of a player
mechanism, and she was having no luck selling the units. I
reminded her that underneath every player piano is a regular
piano, and that in a worse case scenario she could always
remove the mechanism and sell the unit as a regular piano.

In my opinion, there is no way an intact player piano can be
less valuable than a gutted unit unless the person selling it
makes it sound less valuable to the customer. And, if the
customer really likes the look of the instrument but is scared
off by the presence of the player mechanism, the mechanism
could be removed for a small fee of less than $50.00. It takes
less than 20 minutes to remove all of the major components.

Although the page has been inactive for some time, I do have
a webpage that lists some used parts. For a nominal fee I
will act as a broker if we can figure out some of the other
problems like pricing, shipping, insurance, payment and
guarantees. Let us not forget the old saying, "One man's trash
is another man's treasure." And if you don't believe that, explain
to me why every junk yard owner is a rich person!! The key to
the game is keeping good records, establishing a fair pricing
structure and having a network of interested parties.

This page was last revised
March 15, 2014 by John A. Tuttle, who Assumes No
LiabilityFor The Accuracy or Validity of the Statements and/or Opinions
Expressed within the Pages of the Player-Care Domain. Cartoon Graphics by "Eric Styles"